Hurricane Ian | 70 Miles Away from a Worst-Case Scenario
Hurricane Ian was a destructive hurricane, being the deadliest and costliest in years, but was also 70 miles away from being a worst-case scenario. Learn more here…
Hurricane Ian was one of the worst natural disasters of 2023, slamming Florida with breathtaking winds and unbelievable storm surge. Even though there was catastrophic destruction and death from this hurricane, being the worst in years, Ian was less than 100 miles away from making landfall in a place that would be called a “worst case scenario” hurricane for the United States. In this post, learn about Ian including strength and size, how it almost was a “worst-case scenario”, and more.
This post is all about Hurricane Ian.
Unbelievable Ian
Hurricane Ian Strength & Size
The first section of this post will be about Ian’s peak strength and size. At its most powerful point off of the Florida coast, Hurricane Ian was a Category 5 hurricane with 160 mph winds. It downgraded to a Cat. 4 before it made landfall in Florida, though. When it was heading toward Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, it was nearly 500 miles in diameter, which is wide for a hurricane. Tropical storm-force winds stretched up to 140 miles from the hurricane’s center with hurricane-force winds going out 20-30.
Hurricane Ian Storm Surge
One incredible thing Ian did was create a record storm surge that went miles inland. According to FEMA, the storm surge reached 15 feet and went inland for up to 25 miles. This storm surge was the main factor that made this hurricane also the 3rd costliest hurricane in world history, but we will talk about that later. There is some incredible footage of storm surges reaching 15 feet and others of the waters breaking into buildings. If you look on platforms like YouTube, you will find plenty of them. We do not know exactly how many people in Florida died from storm surge, but it is thought that most of the 150 Florida deaths were in coastal areas and from the storm surge.
Hurricane Ian Damage
The damage caused by Ian was catastrophic, destroying miles and miles of Florida coastline, including large cities like Ft. Myers and Naples. The total damage cost was $113 billion and was third place in damage behind the >$125 billion Katrina and Harvey. Even though one powerful part of Hurricane Ian was the wind, the majority of the damage was caused by the storm surge and rainfall. The storm surge damaged coastal communities and ones many miles inland because of its height. The rainfall was excessive in Florida and caused many floods in further inland cities like Orlando.
Almost Worst Case Scenario
Hurricane Ian was almost a worst-case scenario hurricane, and at the time, nobody knew if it would be one. Ian landed in Cayo Costa, around 70 miles from Tampa Bay. If a major hurricane made landfall in Tampa Bay, there would be a devastating storm surge in many parts of the bay because of its shape. A Category 1 hurricane can cause a storm surge of over 9 feet in some bay areas. Other issues include the population having many in danger, lots of structures at sea level that make the hurricane very likely to be very costly, and all the homes along the bay. So if a strong hurricane hit here, it would likely be one of the costliest and deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history.
Hurricane Ian Flesh-Eating Bacteria
The last section of this post will be a unique one, about one thing that spread in Hurricane Ian’s aftermath, bacteria. This wasn’t just any bacteria, this was a flesh-eating bacteria. There was a big spike in cases of this bacteria which is called Vibrio vulnificus. At least 38 cases were connected to the storm after the hurricane and so were 11 deaths.
